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European Union
The European Union '('EU) is an intergovernmental union of 28 member-states located on the European subcontinent. The union strengthens the member-states economically and politically. Though each member of the EU maintains complete national independence, the EU is sometimes considered a single entity, having ratified its own constitution. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the EU consists of several branches and organisations, each responsible for carrying out their own tasks. These include the European Council, the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the Court Justice of the European Union, and the Court of Auditors. The President of the European Council, often (but incorrectly) referred to as the President of the European Union, is the prime representative of the EU on the world stage, and serves as the Union's spokesperson. The current incumbent is Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium. The European Union is noted for its strong economic unity amongst its members. Countries within the EU operate off of a single market and enjoy free trade. Several (but not all) members of the EU have also adapted the Union's official currency, the Euro, as their own national currency. Together, these countries make up the Eurozone and function in an internal market. History At the end of WWII, European political leaders strove to maintain peace on the subcontinent, as well as rebuild from the turmoil that was left behind. Extreme nationalism was to blame for the massive war, and these governmental officials attempted to bring together a more unified Europe. This proved difficult, granted the "iron curtain" that divided Europe between NATO and Warsaw Pact supporters. Nevertheless, Western European nations, continued to strive for political, and eventually economic, unity. This led to the Treaty of Paris on 23 July, 1952, which brought forth the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).This pact assured free trade among its signatories, and was the first supranational organisation that would eventually morph into the European Union. The six founding countries of the ECSC were France, Italy, West Germany, and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg). In 1957, the ECSC was joined by a second and third supranational organisation via the Treaty of Rome: the European Economic Community (EEC), which strove to bring about economic integration and create a common market; and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM), which had the goal of researching and developing nuclear material for energy purposes. The ECSC, the EEC, and the EURATOM would ultimately consolidate into one single body through the Merger Treaty of 1965. As a sense of liberalism swept Europe in the decades to follow, more and more nations began to join the merged European Community. The United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, East Germany, Spain, and Portugal soon joined the original six founding nations. In the Treaty of Maastricht, signed 7 February, 1992, these members of the European Community met in the southern Dutch town to further integrate an economic and political cause by officially forming the European Union. The same treaty also saw the creation of the singular European currency, the euro, today used in most member-states of the EU. The Treaty of Maastricht was further amended and supplemented by the Treaties of Amsterdam (1999), Nice (2001), and Lisbon (2007). Following the dissolutions of the Soviet Union in 1991, Yugoslavia in 1992, and Czechoslovakia in 1992, as well as the reunification of Germany in 1990, several ex-communist nations, including Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, and the Baltic states have all joined the European Union, though very few of these nations have adapted the euro. Finland has also since joined the EU, itself being an axis power in WWII. Croatia was the most recent nation to join the EU on July 1, 2013, making it the second ex-Yugoslavic nation, after Slovenia, to be in the EU. Category:Organization Category:European Union